A few months ago I found myself with a list of tasks I needed to get done in work, with 2 browsers open and at least 10 windows open in each browser, but somehow I would be just spending my time going through emails, and my task list was never getting smaller. Though, I was really busy reducing other peoples tasks list. So by the end of each day I never really felt like I had achieved anything……time for a change in how I manage my tasks and my priorities.
I started reading blog posts on how to be more productive, and how to better manage my time and tasks etc. I came across the 1-3-5 rule for prioritising your to-do lists on a number of sites and thought I’d give it a try.
https://www.themuse.com/advice/a-better-todo-list-the-135-rule
https://lifehacker.com/make-your-to-do-list-more-doable-with-the-1-3-5-rule-5994155
https://www.fastcompany.com/3007885/1-3-5-rule-more-doable-do-lists
Basically, you limit your tasks for that day to just 9, then you prioritise them in to one big thing, three medium things, and five small things.
To coincide with this new way of prioritising my daily tasks I started using Microsoft’s To-Do app on my PC, and downloaded the mobile app to my phone. This combined with the 1-3-5 rule has revolutionised by productivity and my well-being. I now leave working feeling I’ve achieved what I’ve needed to everyday.
I used to start my day by diving straight into my emails. Now I start my day with my To-Do app either on my phone in the morning before work, if something pops in my head that I need to get done or when I get into work. I add my 9 tasks into the My Day part of the To-Do app and organise them into the 1-3-5 priorities and start working through my tasks. I then check my emails once I’ve done a couple of tasks, for a bit, then head back to my tasks.
Once I complete a task, I tick it off as complete in the app and you hear a really satisfying “ping” noise.
This app now integrates with Outlook too, which has made things even easier, as I just flag an email that is a task I need to get done, and it pulls through in to the To-Do app.
After using this approach for a few weeks and seeing the benefits on my workload, productivity and well-being. I have got my whole team using it, and they are now using the same approach and seeing the same benefits.
I now couldn’t go back to the way I use to work.
